Starting a sensible discussion & compilation of facts as opposed to all the full-caveman-no-water-touching-face-dead-skin-mask threads.

About the acid mantle, lipid barrier, retinoid production and more.

Your skin isn't dead leather & your sebum isn't dead grease. They are ecosystems for enzymes and other substances that play vital roles in skin function. Your sebum contains living cells that produce these substances. Substances that protect and exfoliate. That inhibit DHT production which is a major factor in oily skin, acne and male pattern baldness. Substances that inhibit melanin, reducing hyperpigmentation, Substances that produce retinoids & ceramides. All those things you pay big money for in moisturizers & creams. Those ceramides & other lipids are also stripped away by cleansers. Emulsifying agents are even in lotions & creams you think are helping your skin. Stripping your skin of all these things makes it hard for skin to function and causes the problems we then try to solve with more products. Soaps, cleansers and topicals prevent your skin from functioning.

Intro/definitions

Acid Mantle - a layer of sebum and sweat that, among other things, makes the surface of your skin slightly acidic which inhibits the overgrowth of harmful microbes. In addition, the various enzymes involved in normal cell desquammation (exfoliation) need an acidic environment to function. Even store bought BHA and AHA topicals need to be the correct PH to function.

Soaps are alkaline and strip it away. It can take hours to recover during which time your skin is vulnerable to microbes and cells don't exfoliate freely without clogging pores. Tap water in most areas is also slightly alkaline, but your skin should recover from the tap water fairly quickly.

Sebum/lipid permeability barrier

- Normal sebum contains enzymes that inhibit the formation of DHT, the form of testosterone that aggravates acne. It also contains enzymes that dissolve the desmosomes that bind your skin cells together so they can exfoliate normally.

Linoleic acid is a major component of normal sebum. A deficiency in linoleic acid has been found to be involved in many skin issues including acne, excema, atopic dermatis, just plain sensitive easily irritated skin, etc. This applies to all mammals. Where linoleic acid is deficient, oleic acid is used. This produces sebum that is greasy looking and sticky which causes skin cells to be clump together and clog pores.

The regulation of epidermal lipid synthesis by permeability barrier requirements.

A major function of the skin is to prevent the loss of fluids. The barrier to fluid loss resides in the intercellular lipids (primarily sterols, fatty acids, and sphingolipids) of the stratum corneum. The epidermis is a very active site of lipid synthesis and when the permeability barrier is disrupted by topical solvents or detergents a marked stimulation of sterol, fatty acid, and sphingolipid synthesis occurs. Essential fatty acid deficient mice, with a chronic disturbance in barrier function, also have an increase in epidermal lipid synthesis. When the defect in barrier function is artificially corrected by occlusion with a water vapor impermeable membrane the increase in epidermal lipid synthesis is prevented, suggesting that water flux may be a regulatory factor. The activity of the key rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis, HMG CoA reductase is increased following barrier disruption due to both an increased quantity of enzyme and an increase in activation state. Similarly, the activity of serine palmitoyl transferase, the rate limiting enzyme in sphingolipid synthesis is also increased following barrier disruption. Occlusion prevents the increase in HMG CoA reductase and serine palmitoyl transferase activity. When the increase in epidermal lipid synthesis is inhibited by occlusion the characteristic rapid return of stratum corneum lipids and recovery of barrier function is prevented. Moreover, when epidermal cholesterol synthesis is inhibited by lovastatin, an inhibitor of HMG CoA reductase, the rate of recovery of barrier structure and function is delayed. Similarly, B chloroalanine, an inhibitor of serine palmitoyl transferase and sphingolipid synthesis, also impairs barrier recovery. Thus, disruption of the barrier stimulates epidermal lipid synthesis which provides the lipids necessary for the repair of the barrier. The signals that initiate and coordinate this response are yet to be defined, but the understanding of this process may allow for pharmacological interventions that will specifically disrupt the barrier and allow for the transcutaneous delivery of drugs.

Edited by alternativista, 14 July 2014 - 05:45 PM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

Good things for Oily Skin and Sebum Quality-Acne prone skin (as well as other problem prone skin) is deficient in linoleic acid. And this makes the differenct between sebum that protects and makes your skin glow versus sebum that looks greasy and is sticky and clogs pores. As it's unlikely most people don't get enough in their diets (usually too much) there must be something that either impairs getting it into skin/sebum or we metabolize it too fast for it to be used. Or the quality of the high omega 6 PUFA oil is poor and rancid.

Topical application has been shown to be helpful. Grape seed and safflower oils are both over 70% linoleic acid. See this lengthy thread all about the subject in which I try to figure out why our skin/sebum is deficient and find evidence that topical application is helpful: http://www.acne.org/...pical-solution/ Another thread with studies such as one where low levels of linoleic acid coincide with acne vulgaris: http://www.acne.org/...ost__p__3168178

Don't strip away skin oils with harsh cleansers. Chemicals and enzymes in sebum play a role in normal desquamation (exfoliation) of skin cells. It can't do that if you wash it all away. Also, your skin needs to be slightly acidic for these enzymes to function. Most cleansers are alkaline.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

Linoleic acid is a vital component in normal sebum that does what it is supposed to: Protect the skin. Skin/sebum in people (and animals) prone to acne and other skin problems have been found to be deficient in linoleic Acid. Sebum deficient in linoleic acid is hard and sticky and clogs pores. It looks greasy and has fewer protective and anti-inflammatory properties.

Key points:

Acne and other problem prone skin (in people and animals) are lacking in linoleic acid.
Linoleic acid is a component in the ceramides that make skin strong and impermeable and thus less easily ruptured and less sensitive to irritations.

This deficiency can be changed with topical application.

Grape seed and Safflower oil are over 70% linoleic acid.

Linoleic Acid inhibits the enzymes that convert Testosterone to DHT. Both types. So it can help with hirsutism, hairloss and acne.

Linoleic Acid is anti-inflammatory and protects the skin from UV damage.

Linoleic Acid inhibits melatonin and thus fades hyperpigmentation.

Linoleic acid is anti-microbial, as in anti P. Acnes blamed for acne formation.

Linoleic acid deficiency causes an increase in interluekin -1a which is a factor inflammatory response.

Increase formation of Lamellar granules that produce the enzymes involved in normal exfoliation. They also form the armor that makes your skin strong. Acne prone skin has been found to contain fewer lamellar granules.

Thyroid hormone affects lipid profile. One way that perhaps both hypo and hyperthyroid conditions affect acne.

We don't necessarily have a dietary or systemic deficiency in linoleic acid. Just in the sebum and thus a topical application is the best course of action. This tendency is genetic.

Examples of skin problems affected by a deficiency in linoleic acid include acne, eczema, psoriasis, keratosis pilares, hypersensitivity to allergens, and dry itchy sensitive skin of all types--aka dermatitis.

Edited by alternativista, 04 November 2013 - 04:03 PM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

Topical application of a high linoleic acid content oil such as safflower. Oil cleanse or moisturizer. If you are afraid, you don't necessarily have to apply it directly to acne prone areas. Topical applications do spread throughout the sebaceous glands. You'll just get faster results if you apply in your oily, acne prone areas. Sebum that support skin functions is composed of linoleic acid.

Anything that supports thyroid function helps as thyroid hormone affects the composition of lipids:http://www.acne.org/...n/#entry3235072 So everything to do with that from sleep, avoiding/managing stress, nutrients, etc.

Avoid alkaline cleansers and topicals. Enzymes needed for normal cell desquammation require moisture (i.e. a healthy functioning epidermal barrier) (one way people with dry skin have acne) and a proper PH in order to function. http://www.acne.org/...00#entry3266394

Avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs and steroids - interferes with lipid metabolism.

the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; antirheumatic drugs) like aspirin interfere with the complicated fatty acid metabolism via enzyme in­hibition it is recommended to take into account any possible side effects of medication.By means of the enzyme phospholipase A2, arachidonic acid is released from phospho­lipids. Prescriptions containing cortisone act as enzyme inhibitors and thus will prevent the formation of arachidonic acid metabolites which support inflammations. Any inflammatory processes in the skin can thus be treated immediately and also very effectively. The other side of the coin is, however, that the skin will develop deficiencies in the supply of other important fatty acids, a fact that will consequently result in atrophic skin.

Also note that peroxidated squalene has been implicated as a cause of the inflammation that is at the root of malformed cells that don't differentiate properly. http://www.acne.org/...0#entry3242146 And olive oil is high in squalene. Whenever there is a deficiency in linoleic acid, oleic acid is used in sebum production. http://www.acne.org/...20#entry3242176 And Benzoyl Peroxide peroxidizes. And kills cells, btw. Keep it off your skin.

A more stable epidermal barrier function, an increase in stratum corneum hydration, a faster recovery of both elevated water loss and skin pH after exposure to 2 x 15 min sauna at 80 degrees C could be demonstrated in volunteers with regular sauna. Heart beat rate and ionic concentration in sweat as well as epidermal blood perfusion showed a training effect under regular sauna. A decrease in casual skin sebum content on the skin surface of the forehead was observed in these volunteers.

I wonder if the same results can be obtained with an infrared sauna. I'm not sitting in a hot steamy rooms

Retinoids also affect lipids in sebum:

Beta carotene and UV rays (sunlight) might stimulate retinoid production in the skin. I started gathering info on that here: http://www.acne.org/...00#entry3233046 And in the next post. The CYP26AI enzyme is involved in retinoic acid in the skin. I think it breaks it down, therefore we want to inhibit it. also affects vitamin D synthesis.

Melatonin - So cancer studies have found that 'high levels of melatonin released by the pineal gland block the ability of tumors to take up linoleic acid and convert it to 13-HODE (a molecule called 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid). While exposed to light, however, melatonin levels are extremely low, and tumors are no longer protected by melatonin from the tumor-stimulating action of linoleic acid' Yeah, so that's about cancer cells. But I'd say that as natural as possible circadian cycle will improve your lipid profile and linoleic acid deficiency in sebaceous glands. Maybe the ability of your sebacious glands to take up linoleic acid.

Buckwheat? Somewhere in the Better Grains thread in I claim to have seen a study that found that the prolamin anti-nutrients in buckwheat inhibit the oxidation of linoleic acid. I do not recall or have a link to the study. But perhaps this is of benefit to us with our linoleic acid deficiency? Buckwheat has other benefits on blood sugar, hormones etc.

NAG also reduces hyperpigmentatin by several pathways including changing gene expression.

Topical application of yogurt - Streptococcus thermophilus, a species found in most yogurts, can increase ceramide production when applied to the skin for 7 days as a cream [58]. http://www.acne.org/...20#entry3242185

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

I don't like using things topically... what about taking this internally?

You can try. The researchers didn't believe that the issue was a systemic or dietary deficiency, but perhaps it's about quality. As these PUFA fats go rancid easily and most people are consuming their PUFAs in the form of likely rancid cooking/frying oils and crap processed grains, roasted nuts and seeds, etc. I give it to my dog as he likes it, while hating when I apply it to his skin. And I kind of think it does his itchy sensitive skin more good when he ingests it.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

Great information Alternavista!!! I've learned some excellent new info, especially re Linoleic acid...thanks for posting this...I'm going to link to this thread too....btw, I've exceeded my "like" quota for the day - will return to "like" the posts though....cheers

Edited by aquasea, 11 July 2013 - 02:39 AM.

Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.

Our food should be our medicine.

Walking is man's best medicine.

As to diseases make a habit of two things - to help, or at least, to do no harm.

Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on [God], a man should himself lend a hand.

Yeah, it really is freeing to not have to wake up and go through a half hour long face routine anymore. Also when i shave, i use the trimmer on the back of the electric shaver. It leaves a sandpaper like texture, but it never causes irritation or ingrown hairs which i am extremely prone to getting.

It had previously been shown that defects in the immune system interfere with the skin's ability to produce a peptide called cathelicidin, which is protective against microbial invasion. In many skin diseases, including eczema, a deficiency of cathelicidin correlates with increased infection.

Study participants (14 with atopic dermatitis and 14 without) were all given 4000 IUs of oral Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) per day for 21 days. Skin lesions were biopsied before and after the 21-day period. The researchers found that oral vitamin D use by the patients appeared to correct the skin's defect in cathelicidin.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

I had a very long post in response to someone above and it disappeared when I opened a new tab to look up something. Note to self, never make anything but short responses from the ipad.

Anyway, the reason I came to this thread. Have you heard that Brad Pitt doesn't use soap because of its aging effects and environmental harm? I tried googling it, but only found stupid Hollywood & gossip article.

Lot's of interesting information here. I wish someone could design a set diet and regimen that adhered to this post that we could all follow and possibly see results.

There's no one diet, only basics that apply to all. And I have described it, in the good things thread.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

I think i may have washed my hair for the last time. I last washed my hair Saturday a week and a half ago. And I have fine hair that always looked greasy by the end of the day, every day. Or at leat it did for most of my life from junior high to when I changed my diet & cleared my skin. After that I gradually began to wash every other day, and then every third day although it often wasn't very nice tat third day. This brings us to a few months ago & my no poo story.

So, somewhere, I reported that I was ditching shampoo and trying the baking soda wash, vinegar rinse method. I did that for several monts. It worked fine at first. But then the hair at te back of my head would feel waxy & stiff. Sebum is really mostly wax, not oil, btw. I think my problem had to ddo with the vinegar rinse. Vinegar cuts grease and I think maybe it loosened up & broke down oil that remained after the baking soda. So I experimented with different methods and using conditioner, etc. and began going nearly a whole week without washing, then usually had an event for which I felt I needed clean hair. And the ends were dry and unmanageable.

I did use the 'dry poo' method with cornstarch to absorb oil about every other day though. (Mix with a little cocoa powder for dark hair) did tat for a couple of weeks.

Then, that Saturday,, I needed to look my best so used a little shampoo to get of the waxy ness, then went the whole week in which it started to get greasy and I would want to wash it, but I managed with the cornstarch and went more than a week and somehow, my hair just became nice, clean, shiny & manageable. And it's been like that ever since.. It's like it gets bad before it gets better. I know I've seen other people writing about this phenomena occurring such as on a camping trip or something. I remember one girl saying something about covering her head with a bandana once her hair got gross on a canoe trip, then days later when she removed it expecting it to be truly gross, discovered her hair looked wonderful.

A boars hair brush is an important tool to distribute oils throughout your hair. Also note that shampoo didn't become a commercial product until like the thirties. People didn't used to wash their hair very often at all.

I also started washing the dog with water only every couple of weeks and that seems to work well. Reduced the dog odor well enough without drying his skin or impairing his skin barrier function. Because he has problem skin.

I plan to try water only, I don't know how often. Once a month I color my hair which involves Lots of rinsing. And conditioner.

Edited by alternativista, 21 December 2013 - 09:42 AM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

http://www.essential....php?tid=45316. Discussion about mixing up a toner with aloe. Links to many calculators to help you ma ke a 4% or whatever solution. I wasn't aware it was this easy. I've never bothered with measurements. Now I guess I'll give it a try and make replicable formulas.

http://www.acne.org/...edback-theory/. Post in which someone tests oil production after washing & not washing and claims it proves what you do topically does not affect oil production. He did this by not washing at all for about 10 days. Then washing for about 10 days.. Using strips daily or throughout the day in both periods to measure sebum production. He found that while it fluctuated in both periods, the average was roughly the same.

HOWEVER, I believe, as others in the thread pointed out, all he proved as that your skin tries to restore itself to what it 'feels' is normal sebum-wise regardless of how many times you wash it off. And so you are doing more harm than good trying to strip it away with cleansers that are also altering the PH balance and removing substances important to skin function. And did you know that if you wash with soap within a day of sun exposure (could be up to 48 hours) you wash away the vitamin D before it gets absorbed into your bloodstream.

And I believe a topical application of a high linoleic acid oil will result in sebum with a better skin protecting, non pore clogging composition.

In the thread, board member LabGirl, who works in a facility that makes and/or tests skin treatments, had this to say:

Soap is anything but moisturizing. Not only is it great at removing sebum from skin, it can also strip the skin's natural epidermal lipids (like cerimides and free sphingolipids, and the lipids of the lipid bilayers in between the layers of corneocytes) that make up the skin's water barrier, and hold the cells of the stratum corneum together, which leads to transepidermal water loss.

Soap's alkalinity is also a problem. The pH of skin is usually around 5 (4.2 5.6 actually), which is slightly acidic. The skin's lipid bilayers are made up of mostly phospholipids, which have a phosphatylcholine head and two linoleic acid tails. Also free fatty acids make up a decent chunk of other epidermal lipids. In an alkaline medium the carboxyl groups on a fatty acids loose their hydrogen ions leaving behind a very electronegative oxygen ion (O-), which can easily bond with a metal ion that happens to be floating around in the medium from the soap or just from the tap water.....forming a metal salt of a fatty acid (a soap), which can easily be rinsed away with water. Soap removes way more skin lipids than a gentle non-soap cleanser would....Another downside to cleansing with soap.....at higher pH's the lipid bilayers become stiff and rigid, casuing measureable swelling in the stratum corneum.....

Alcohol is also great at defatting the skin, and is usually used for this purpose in most research that requires defatting of the skin for whatever reason...

And then she describes her participation in a similar study at her company. And while the measured sebum amount seemed to be the same, she perceived that her skin was less oily during the non-washing phase. Could this be because her sebum was of a better consistency & thus performing as sebum should rather than feeling & looking like a layer of heavy grease? http://www.acne.org/...heory/?p=943320

And then she says:

It's not even sebum that moisturizes the skin, it's the skin's lipid barrier and other natural moisturizing factors that prevent water loss.....there is even some evidance that sebum (actually the by products of sebum's bacterial degradation, namely unsaturated fatty acids) may actually damage the skin's water barrier, by causing abnormal keritinization and desquamation of cells of the stratum corenum....

The skin's barrier is actually maintained by layers of overlapping corneocytes, with alternating lipid bilayers and water layers in between. The barrier is reinforced by other epidermal lipids, like ceramides, and humectants that draw water into the skin. Epidermal lipids are not sebum. They are something entirely different.....however washing the skin removes both types of lipids, which can damage the skin's barrier function.....

i plan to find more sources

Edited by alternativista, 28 June 2014 - 07:24 AM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.